Automatic attachment for pianos.



No. 723,056. PATENTED MAR'.17, 1963 J. A. SMITH.

AUTOMATIC ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 12, 1902.

N0 MODEL.

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UNITED STATES;

PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN A. satire, on BALT1MoRE,.-MARY.LA D, Assreuon TO SMITH LYRA- PHONEooMPAnY, A'CORPORATION or WEST-VIRGINIA.

AUTOMATIC ATTACHMENT FOR PIANOS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 723,056, dated March1'7, 1903.

A lication filed March 12 1902. Serial No. 97 836. (No modelJQ' 3 To allwhom it may'c'on'cern:

Be it known that I, JOHN A. SMITH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Balti more, in the State of Maryland, have invent- 5 edcertain new and useful Improvements-in Automatic Attachments for Pianos,of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to automatic selfplaying attachments for pianos;and the ob- 1o ject of the invention is to provide new and novel meansfor supporting: in place various sizes or widths of music-sheet rolls,also to provide the music-sheet-carrying frame with adjustable guidesfor the sheet, whereby the I5 necessity of end flanges on thewinding-roll is avoided, and thereby'adapting the apparatus for the useof sheets of difierent widths, also to provide means for cutting off oneor more of the air-ducts when'it is desired to use a music-sheetcontaining perforations within the normal compass of the tracker, andalso to provide other parts of such apparatus of novel construction andarrangement.

The invention consists of the new and novel parts and combination ofparts hereinafter shown, described, and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings,illustrating my invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 0 is aplan view showing the music-sheet-receiving frame and its attachments.'Fig. 2 is a detail view, in side elevation,showin g themusic-sheet-roll-carrying frame and its attachments. Fig. 3 is a detailview showing the means for cutting oif one or more of the air-ducts.Figs. 4 and 5 are details of the tracker. 4 My invention is adapted foruse in connection with mechanical piano-players such as 0 shown anddescribed in my application for patent dated March 12, 1902, Serial No.97,835, in which each of the series of the pneu matics one for each keyto be operated andeach in line with its respective keyis reached by theoutside air to inflate it'through a hole in the foundation or top boardof the windchest 20, on the under side of which the pneumatics lie. Onthe top side of this wind-chest 20 a removable duct-board 81 is screwed,having a'series ofholes coincident and communicating with the holesthrough the foundation-board leading to the pneumatics.

The tracker 4e embodies a series of apertures 44:, in number equal tothe number of pneumatics to be inflated by the passage of air throughthem and arranged on a scale to correspond with the several lines ofperforations in the music-sheets that are to be used. On the face of thetracker over which the innsic-sheet passes these apertures 44 are quitenarrow, increasing in width until the oppo site side is reached, whenthey are about as wide as long. '(See Figs. 2 and 4,) The severalapertures are separated by thin wedgeshaped partitions 4E4. Into thelower portion of each aperture a flexibletube 82 is cemented and thencecarried to and cemented in its corresponding hole in the duct-board 81,thus securing free and independent passage of the outer air to eachpneumatic through its respective aperture 44, duct 82, and holes throughduct-board 81 and foundation-board 20, governable by the'travel of theperforated musicsheet 4C2 over the tracker 44:. The tracker 44 isrigidly maintained in its proper position laterally and with referenceto its height by the supports 83, secured to it, their lower ends beingscrewed to the duct-board 81, the forward side of the tracker restingagainst the board 84, which is a longitudinal part of the roll-frame.The music-sheet 4:2 and its spool 42 and the take-up roll 43 rest in theframe 85.

To provide means for playing the several kindsv of music out to any onescale, but vary ing as to their compass, I make the pianista to embraceall the keys used in playing the music having the greatest compass, andin addition I include one or more notes, both above and be1ow,to permittranspositi'on without the loss of any of the higher or lower notes. Forthe notesabove and below the range of such music as has the smallercompass I make a slide cut-off valve 88 in the duct-board 81, eachbeingindividually independent and having a stopconnection 88 for closingor openingthe air passage or passages, as shown in detail in Fig.

Upon the roll-frame 85 1 provide several pairs or sets of roll carriersor brackets 67 and 67 as above mentioned, and the rewinding-pulleys ('36for music-spools of different lengths, some adapted to be rewound at theright-hand end and some at the left-hand end and some having a greatercompass than others. Thus it will be seen that by the use of theseroll-carriers arranged at varying distances from the tracker and havingsome rewind from the right and others rewind from the left the variousstyles of standard music may be played upon the instrument withoutchanging the roller-carrying brackets or the rewinding mechanism. Forinstance, the fifty-eight-note music out for the Aeolian Grand and thefifty-eightnote music for the Angelus vary in length,and one rewindsfrom the right and the other from the left, both of which may be playedupon my improved machine. By the use of the three sets of brackets, asshown and described, nearly all, if not all, of the standard music maybe played upon my machine without changing the roller-carrying bracketsor the rewinding mechanism. These carriers or brackets and pulleys areall arranged at intervals back of the tracker 44, preferably those ofthe widest sheets first, and so on back in order of their severalwidths, as shown in Fig. I. The takeup or winding roll 43 is notprovided with the usual flanges at its ends for guiding the musicsheetas it is wound thereon. In accordance with my invention and instead ofthese flanges I provide movable or adjustable guides 89,..attached totheir shifting-arms 89, adapted to be moved laterally along the bar 90,which is fixed to and forms part of the frame 85, to their properpositions to accurately guide the travel of the music-sheets as they arebeing moved onto the take-up roll 43. Notches 91 in the bar 84 arearranged to receive the rearward ends of the guides 89 and retain themin position to guide the sheets,

which may be of any desired width.

The tracker 44 and the duct-board 81, with the ducts 82 cemented inthem, as described, constitute a separable portion of the mechanism, theduct-board being screwed to the top of the foundation or pneumatic board20 and easily removable for repairs or cleaning or for the substitutionof another tracker adapted for music cut in a different scale, butconnected by duets with a duct-board the exact counterpart of thefirst-described one and that will exactly fit the pianista.

As shown in Figs. 4 and 5, the tracker 44 is constructed of a block ofwood having a longitudinal slot increasing in width from the top to thebottom and provided upon each side of the slot with a series ofsaw-kerfs 44,

running parallel with the sides of the slot and adapted to receive thethin wedge-shaped partitions 44, which are cemented in place, andthereby forming the tapering perforations 44, into the lower ends'ofwhich the rubber tubes 82 are crowded, and impinging the sides of saidperforations and conforming to the shape thereof and being cemented inplace form a perfect air-tight joint with the tracker. By thisconstruction of tracker with the thin partitions it will be observedthat the tubes or air ducts where they enter the tracker lie in closeproximity with one another, thereby forming a very compact arrangement.

The new and novel features herein shown and not claimed are made part ofa separate application filed March 12, 1902, Serial No. 97,835.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is- 1. In an automaticattachment for pianos, a tracker, and a roll-carrying frame providedwith adjustable guides for the music-sheet, arranged between the trackerand the winding-roll, substantially as described.

2. In an automatic attachment for pianos, a tracker, a roll-carryin gframe provided with a flangeless winding-roll, and adjustable guides forthe music-sheet on said frame arranged between the tracker and thewindingroll, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic attachment for pianos, a roll-carrying frame providedwith two or more independent sets of roll supporting and rewindingbrackets arranged at varying distances from the tracker, and adapted toreceive rolls of difierent lengths, substantially as described.

4. In an automatic attachment for pianos, a roll-carrying frame providedwith two or more independent sets of roll supporting and rewindingbrackets arranged at varying distances from the tracker, and adapted toreceive rolls of different lengths, the rewindingbrackets of each setbeing arranged upon opposite sides of the frame, substantially asdescribed.

5. In an automatic attachment for pianos, the combination with thewind-chest, of a separate duct board communicating with the wind-chest,a tracker having a series of tapering perforations formed by thin fiatwedgeshaped pieces inserted in saw-kerfs in a tapering slot in saidtracker, and permanently connected with said duct-board by air-ducts,the said duct-board, tracker and their connecting air-ducts beingadapted to be bodily removed from the wind-chest, substantially asdescribed.

6. In an automatic attachment for pianos, the combination with thetracker having a series of tapering perforations formed by thin fiatwedge shaped pieces inserted in sawdividually-independent cut-ofis forsaid air- I0 kerfs in a tapering slot in said tracker, of airducts,substantially as described.

ducts crowded in the larger ends of said per- In testimony whereof Iaflix my signature forations and cemented therein, and a ductin thepresence of two witnesses.

5 board to which said air-ducts are secured,

substantially as described. JOHN S 7. In an automatic attachment forpianos, Witnesses: V the combination with the duct-board and air- CHAPINA. FERGUSON, ducts connected therewith, of a series of in- WILMER EMORY.

